Silver Lining
by heartofkaos
Summary: There is more to Caleb Odell than the happy care free cowboy everyone expects him to be. Sometimes his big heart can cause problems that no-one else can see.
1. Chapter 1

Caleb couldn't remember the last time he had been in Maggie's Diner, in fact he tried to avoid it when he was on his own. A man alone with his thoughts wasn't productive in Caleb's opinion, he didn't like to dwell on the past very often. Today was an exception to both. Without being entirely sure how he got there, he found he'd wound up at the coffee bar in Maggie's lost in his thoughts. It was difficult to avoid thinking about her in this place, as if a part of her lingered in the air and he could see her standing there in the corner of his eye until he turned around and no-one was there. She wasn't there. He was alone, completely and utterly alone.

Life hadn't always been kind to Caleb, he had his fair share of hardships in his young life and now was no different. It was easy for him to fake a smile and drift through the days in his seemingly happy-go-lucky style. No one bothered to look any deeper to see just how broken he had become or the guilt that was swallowing him piece by piece.

Things had got out of control the last time he was in Hudson. He had vowed he would never return here. He planned to settle somewhere on the rodeo circuit, anywhere that wasn't here. He tried to outrun the memories but they chased him down wherever he went, when he closed his eyes, when he breathed. He was exhausted, yet somehow he continued to find his way back here unable to stop himself from being drawn towards the pain. His usual bravery had abandoned him as he was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread. He knew that a day of reckoning was looming and that day was closing in as fast as the storm brewing outside.

It was getting increasingly dark and he could see the rain streaming down the windows. He never imagined that he would be sitting in the Diner again wishing he could see her one more time, pouring him a mug of coffee and talking mindlessly about her day. He wanted to see her smile again, the one that would creep over her face when he lifted his eyes from his drink to take her in once more. She had tried to hide it from him, shyly turning away. She had reminded him of a skittish deer, his own beloved Bambi unable to stand still or at peace. Always moving, always distracted. Caleb was captivated by her from the moment he looked into her sparkling blue eyes. He was hers from that moment on, that much he knew.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain was pouring down the windows and the sound on the tin roof was deafening. Even with all the noise surrounding her she couldn't drown out her thoughts. The storm outside was matching the demons in her mind strike for strike. There was never any escape from the constant pressure in her mind. In an attempt to breakout from her thoughts she opened the door and ran out into the rain hoping her memories would simply wash away. The tears came as the frustration reached its peak. The past few months had been more than she could take, she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on. She wasn't sure if she wanted to any more.

She had made many mistakes in her life and her last one the most costly of them all. She had lost everything, all she loved and all she possessed in one fell swoop. Knowing that she had no-one else to blame but herself was the hardest part of starting again. It was hard to lift herself up from wallowing in self pity and remorse. But she would keep trying, for him. For him she would never give up hope, no matter how small the glimmer, even on her darkest days. Those dark days came more often than not. Every passing day blended into the next and time became of no relevance anymore. It was a constant struggle to stay focused on anything other than her own misery.

The storm continued to punish her as she walked along the roadside, each step heavier than the last. She had no idea where she was heading, anywhere was better than here. The place where the darkness followed her and memories haunted her every waking moment. There was no escaping from her self-inflicted torture. She could try running but there was no use in trying to out run the inevitable. She deserved this, so she would endure it for as long as she could. She was vaguely aware of headlights passing her by and street lights as she arrived in town. She was soaked to the bone and the wind should have chilled her to the very core but her senses were numb from her inability to free herself from her mind. How could she feel anything ever again when her very reason for existence was taken from her? She was sure she would just wade through the rest of her life with a huge hole in her heart and nowhere to call home.

She could smell the enticing smell of coffee as she passed Maggie's Diner. A place that once gave her warmth, comfort and a sense of belonging. It was also the place where she met him. The hub of all her guilt. Where her life began to unravel from it's very seams. Quickly she pulled up the collar of her jacket to try to cover her face. She didn't want to be seen, rather be forgotten in the minds of all she knew. Shame was such a tough pill to swallow. As she snuck one last glance at her former safe haven, she stopped right in her tracks. He was here. Before she let it sink in, she about turned abruptly and ran, ran for her life and all that she had left.


	3. Chapter 3

Caught somewhere between his memories and the present, for a split second he thought he saw her. Like a ghost haunting him, flashing by his eyes in the wild winds of the raging storm not unlike the one in his heart. He felt it, like a sharp pain, a sudden stab, a breathless moment when the world stood still and he knew with every fiber of his being, that had been her. She was somehow here in Hudson and she was alone in this relentless downpour.

Without a second thought Caleb ran outside in only his shirt and was instantly repaid with a drenching. He frantically looked around in the direction she ran but it was hard to see from under the brim of his hat through the sheets of rain and blinding bursts of lightning. Without thinking he began to shout her name out loud into the darkness. By the time he stopped himself it was already too late. On hearing his voice there was the very strong possibility that she would run further from his reach. He was so close to what he'd been yearning for the last few months, he had to find her and it had to be tonight. There was no going back now.

Caleb closed his eyes for a moment, drew his breath and paused. He fought his way through everything he'd been trying to block from his memory until it consumed him. There had to be something she said in the past to give him a clue where she might go to hide. A safe place, her refuge. Images and emotions flooded through every corner of his mind. Just when he thought he couldn't stand it any longer, it suddenly dawned on him where he would find her. The realisation itself seemed to lift the weight from his already heavily burdened shoulders, if only temporarily.

He climbed into his truck which he'd parked out in the deserted street earlier. He had a sinking feeling that had been the reason for her startled expression and sudden need to flee. She had discovered he was inside Maggie's. Shaking his head at his own demise he started the engine and set off out of the town. The windscreen wipers were going at full tilt and it was becoming almost impossible to see through the driving rain. Just on the outskirts of Hudson, Caleb caught a glimpse of a silhouette walking by the roadside, wavering from the battering of the strong winds. Instantly he knew without a shadow of a doubt, he'd found just who he'd been looking for.

"_Silver..._" whispered Caleb, as if to convince himself she was really there.


	4. Chapter 4

Caleb pulled off the road and got out slowly. He didn't want to startle her by rushing after her and it took everything he had not to do just that. With each careful step he took his mind was running through what he planned to say when he reached her. There was too much that he needed to say, that he should have said a long time ago. Of course if he had done things right to start with he wouldn't be stalking her down a road in the night during a storm and maybe, just maybe he'd have had his happily ever after. But Caleb had a way of things going completely wrong without ever meaning them to. As always, his heart had been in the right place but that didn't always count for much.

While he'd been caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed that she had stopped walking and had cautiously turned to face him. He was only a few footsteps from her now. Caleb felt very self-aware as he waited for her reaction, knowing that whatever he had planned to say was long since forgotten.

"Silver..." he whispered again, still in disbelief.

_Those eyes_, Caleb thought as he tried to read her demeanour. He could feel himself falling into her gaze, ready to completely fall apart at her mercy. He watched as she closed her eyes, inhaled slowly and held her breath. She stood with her shoulders hunched over and her arms across her body, as if trying to hold herself together. Every small movement she made broke his heart, this was not how he expected to find her, shattered into little pieces. As she opened her eyes again, Caleb was taken aback by the helplessness in he saw in them as tears cascaded down her cheeks mixing in with the rain that was saturating them both.

As the thunder roared and the lightning crashed, Caleb cut the distance between them in a swift and daring motion. In the same instant he cupped her cheeks, resting his thumbs a breath away from her trembling lips. Silver regarded him with eyes wild with urgency, enticing him to deliver. A raindrop distracted him from her gaze, he watched as it ran down her face and encircled her lower lip almost seductively. As the droplet threatened to fall over the brim of her parted mouth, he needed to taste her. Caleb pounced, pressing his lips to Silver's with a ferocious hunger. She answered with equal force and thirst for him. With her fingers entangled in his hair, she pulled him in even closer, demanding everything he had. Caleb inevitably surrendered.


	5. Chapter 5

"I shouldn't have done that..." Caleb declared as he came to his senses and broke free of their embrace. He took an exaggerated step back from Silver. "...I'm real sorry" he continued, dragging his hands up over his face, as if to wake himself up from his emotions - suddenly remembering that the elements were unleashing their own kind of hell. "Come on, get in my truck. You're frozen and soaking wet" Caleb suggested as he struggled to keep his mind on what he was saying, instead of the sensation of her lips on his.

Silver hesitated slightly, unsure how to absorb the turn of events. She wasn't sure if she was hurt by Caleb's obvious regret or relieved by it. Maybe it was a little of both. Her mind was reeling and she felt her instinct to flee kick in. submissively though, she allowed Caleb to guide her into the safety of his truck. With rain no longer beating down on her, she started shivering violently. Caleb brushed past her to grab a blanket from the backseat, sending what felt like an electric bolt through her body. The inside of the truck was beginning to feel very small to Silver, as she felt the warm blanket being wrapped around her shoulders, feeling like the weight of the world descended upon her along with it.

"_I missed you..._" Silver whispered breaking her silence, barely audible above the raging winds. A single tear rolled down her cheek, escaping as her composure began to falter. With wide eyes quivering with distress, she lifted her gaze to meet Caleb's and repeated "I missed you." This time more firmly, maybe to make sure he heard her, or maybe to make sure he understood. Caleb hesitated in responding due to the waves of guilt that were crashing over his head while he scrambled for breath. He didn't know what to say, he was rendered speechless. So he just took her in his arms and held her tight. Unable to tell if she was shaking from the cold or if she'd began crying, he couldn't bring himself to look down to find out. Knowing the answer would shatter what was left of his resolve. He needed to stay strong once more, even if last time it didn't work out too well. Which was becoming very clear on this stormy night.

"We need to get out of here" Caleb suggested softly while kissing Silver on top of her head just as gently. The tenderness of his voice and gesture made Silver smile through her tears. She had tried so hard to forget how safe he could make her feel. The times that thoughts of Caleb had crept into her mind would make her heart ache for him. His beautiful smile had been burned into her memory and gave her comfort through her lonely days. She often found herself reminiscing about Caleb's broad smile that had instantly caught her attention.

_Silver was relieved that the busy lunchtime spell was over on her first shift at Maggie's Diner. On her way to clear up some of the messy tables she happened to look up as the door opened. A strange sensation washed over her in that instant, she felt a little light-headed and her heart had felt like it became lodged in her throat. She needed to regain control of the butterflies in her stomach before being able to figure out what was going on. She looked again at the stranger who had caused this peculiar reaction. As he walked in his face brightened into the most dazzling smile Silver had ever seen. The sort of smile that would make a woman go weak at the knees, just like she undeniably had. However his smile hadn't been for her, on following his gaze she saw it for her manageress Nicole._


	6. Chapter 6

"_I won't be back._" Caleb mentally berated himself for the way he left Silver all those months ago. It had been torture to watch her crumble and not be able reach out and comfort her. As soon as he had said those words "_I just can't do this anymore_", he wanted to take them back instantly. The truth was Caleb wanted nothing more than to follow through on all the promises he had made. He truly wanted to take care of Silver and give her the love she deserved. He hoped he could move on and forget about everything that happened but he'd been wrong, so very wrong. In retrospect he should have known from the moment his path crossed Silver's he would always have her on his mind.

_The diner was quiet as Caleb walked in to get a caffeine boost; he preferred to come in after the lunches were over so he could chill-out and take his time lost in his thoughts. As he opened the front door he spotted Nicole was working and he gave her one of his winning smiles. He knew she liked him and he played along in the role he'd assumed since his last relationship. People expected him to flirt with any pretty girl or have a few one-night stands on the circuit. Caleb knew that wasn't his true self but he was afraid of falling, letting someone close enough to shatter his heart again and he just couldn't take that risk, he wouldn't. Then he saw her. Like a vision from a dream he never knew he'd had a million times, a sense of the familiar washed over him as he took in the stranger before him. She was beautiful yes but that wasn't what consumed his every thought or feeling; it was a deeper instant connection where he was sure his heart had literally stopped when their eyes met. The world around him had become a blur and he immediately understood._

A sudden flash of lightening woke Caleb from his thoughts, bringing him back down to earth with a shuddering strike of reality. What exactly was he doing? Where was he going to take her? How on earth was he going to begin to fix any of this? His mind was reeling with self-doubt and uncertainty. Before he could form a singular thought from the chaos he realized he had driven them back to where he had been staying the previous night, the motel. Caleb groaned internally at his unintentional insensitivity. "I've been staying here…" Caleb offered weakly by way of explanation. "I mean I thought you could use some dry clothes and somewhere warm to go... I didn't know where else to go, where you lived now…" Caleb was aware he was rambling through his sheer embarrassment at how it may have looked by bringing her to a motel of all places. "We could go somewhere else… I mean... I could drop you off somewhere?" Caleb added hesitantly, feeling very apprehensive.

Caleb steeled his nerves and looked down towards Silver for a reaction from her, for some sort of cue to what he should do next. He felt that old-time spark as their eyes connected and he held his breath for what he felt for sure would be a slap in the face. Silver's eyes were ablaze as she started laughing a delightfully infectious giggle while simultaneously nudging gently into Caleb's side. She was smirking up at him, her smile brimming with mischief. With an inaudible sigh of relief, he couldn't help but join in the hilarity of the moment, breaking the ice once and for all, filling his truck with much needed laughter. With the change of atmosphere and his confidence fully restored he led Silver outside, while sheltering her from the storm to his motel room, closing the door firmly behind them.


End file.
